Soubi awoke to the sound of what sounded like whispering. Curious, he lifted his head to peer at the bed. It was empty. It took his brain a moment to realize that the whispers were really just snatches of conversation, the volume blocked by his closed door. He walked out of his room to see Natsuo and Youji sitting at the table, talking to someone in the kitchen.
"Hey, Asami, what is your favorite form of torture?" Youji asked, glancing at Soubi briefly.
"Um, I'm a fan of inflicting small wounds on precise parts of the human body, and then soaking a rag in either alcohol or salt water to clean them." Sounded her voice. Soubi searched to find its owner. He noticed that Asami was not in the living room, and realized a second later that she was in his kitchen. He walked over just as she walked out, four plates of food balanced on her arms. Soubi stood, shocked at how good the food looked and smelled. He lifted two of the plates and walked them over to the table with Asami.
"Thank you Agatsuma-san." She said as they sat down, Youji and Natsuo already shoveling the food back. Soubi smiled at the boys, and then took a mouthful of the food. It tasted as good as it smelled. Asami had made rice with stir-fried vegetables and added small pieces of cooked fish for Natsuo, Youji and Soubi. She began to eat, taking their silence to mean they liked it. When everyone had finished, she stood to clear the table, stacking the plates and putting the chopsticks on the top most dish. Soubi stood, taking them from her hands and carrying them to the kitchen for her, ignoring her cries of protest. When he came back out she was sitting again, talking quietly with Youji.
"So, you actually drove a nail through Agatsuma's hand? I'm surprised he didn't put up more of a fight against it!" Asami was saying. Natsuo nodded, grinning.
"Yup, we almost had him beat, but he figured out a way to defeat us in the end." Asami looked up at Soubi, who was frowning slightly.
"How did you do it?" She asked, very curious. She knew of the Zero's inability to feel pain, and thus she knew they were a difficult pair to beat. Soubi looked at Youji and Natsuo, who hung their heads, slightly ashamed at their lack of knowledge about their own weaknesses.
"I used their inability to regulate their body temperature to my advantage. I knew they could not feel the warning signs of freezing to death, and so I covered the area with ice and snow and commanded freezing winds to assault them." He smiled as Natsuo and Youji frowned at the retelling of the details. Asami noticed this, and took the conversation in a different direction.
"Agatsuma-san why doesn't Ritsuka come live with you? You are old enough to be his guardian, and I'm sure it would be safer for him to live with you than with his mother." Soubi shook his head, turning away slightly before answering.
"Ritsuka would not leave his mother. He feels that her current state of mind is his fault." Asami tilted her head to the side, considering Soubi's statement. He opened the door to leave for class, turning to look at the Zero boys before he walked out.
"Behave you two. I want her in the same condition she is now when I return. And don't let her leave on her own; I can't have her running away just yet." With that he walked out, closing the door behind him. Natsuo and Youji looked at each other, then at Asami. After a moment Youji spoke.
"Asami, we are going to go visit Ritsuka after school today. In the meantime, we will need to get your clothes. Is your sacrifice at home, or does she have school?" Asami looked shocked, taking a moment to answer.
"W-well, she has school, but I'm not sure if she went or not. The only reason she ever goes is because I make her." The boys thought for a moment, then decided to risk it.
"Alright, lets go!" They stood up, grabbing her hands and pulling her after them. When they got outside Asami told them the address, and they frowned for a moment before pulling her after them. There was a small stand that had maps of city, and they asked the owner of the stand to show them where the apartment was. Once they figured out the route, they were off again, dragging Asami along behind them. When they reached the building they walked her up, holding their breath as she opened the door. To their fortune, Chieko/Aimi was out. Asami walked over to the box of clothing she had been to lazy to unpack, wondering if she should take the whole thing, or just a few things. Her decision was made for her when Youji picked up the box, walking out of the room. Natsuo pulled Asami after his sacrifice, not caring that they were getting looks from a few of the other residents who emerged from their apartments.
Once they were back at Soubi's house Youji put the box on the floor beside Asami's mattress. Both boys went into Soubi's room, allowing Asami to change. When she called them back in she was wearing a short kimono that matched her eyes and ended just above her knees with a pair of black tights underneath. She was tying her hair back so it wouldn't touch the ground. Her arms were adorned with silver bracelets, her right only held a single, thick ring, while her left was decorated with a great number of silver bangles and her black leatherette wristband. Around her neck hung a set of dog tags, a collar, and a silver chain bearing a well crafted silver butterfly set with amethyst.
"So, when do we go to see Ritsuka?" Asami asked curiously. Natsuo and Youji looked at the clock, which read 12:00.
"Well, Ritsuka gets off at 12:30 today, so we will have to leave now to catch him." Asami nodded, and pulled her combat boots on as Natsuo and Youji slipped on their own shoes. She followed them out of the house, the two boys holding her hands again and leading the way. They stopped outside the school, waiting for Ritsuka to come out. Asami stared at her feet from all the stares she was getting. Cho was the bolder personality, while Asami was incredibly shy. Natsuo and Youji just sneered at the students and they scrambled away.
"What are you three doing here?" Ritsuka's voice made Asami look up. Her eyes drifted from Ritsuka to the two accompanying him. There was a boy about Ritsuka's height with dark green hair and ears. There was also a girl about her height with pink hair and ears. The first thought that came to Asami's mind when she looked at the girl was 'wow, she's got big boobs for a sixth grader.'
"Hello Ritsuka, we decided to come see you, since Soubi is in class today." Youji said in a bored tone. The girl with pink hair smiled, bouncing slightly.
"We should all go to the mall together! I have some money today, so we can get bubble tea!" Asami's expression changed in an instant. She had a smile on her face and her eyes were brighter than usual.
"Ah, I also have some money! Let's go!" Yuiko linked arms with Asami and lead her and the others to the mall. When they arrived Asami, Yuiko and Yayoi sat on one side of a table with Natsuo, Ritsuka and Youji on the other side. Asami ad Yuiko both ordered honey tea with strawberry jellies, while the others gagged at their love of such a sweet drink. Natsuo and Youji ordered an ice swirl with tapioca pearls to share, while Ritsuka and Yayoi ordered plain flavored teas without the jellies. As they waited for their tea Yuiko and Asami chatted about various different things, from their favorite actors, to their favorite musicians. Asami was happy to find a girl she could talk to about these things. Aimi/Chieko wasn't interested in such girly things, Cho was hidden away in her mind, and Nagisa-chan had always been to busy with experiments or training to talk with her.
"Ah, Yuiko, would you like to go to the park with me tomorrow after school?" Asami asked abruptly. She wanted to be friends with the girl, as she would be her first. Yuiko looked delighted at the prospect.
"I would love to! Are you going to be waiting again? Oh! Should Ritsuka-kun come as well?" The girl's tail was wagging as she spoke rapidly.
"Of course Ritsuka can come with us. And yes, I will be waiting outside the school again tomorrow." Yuiko and Asami grinned, then turned to Ritsuka, waiting to hear if he would come with them or not. He sighed, and then nodded, provoking an outburst from Yayoi.
"Ritsuka-kun, you have just been invited to the park with Yuiko-san! How could you look so disinterested! Yuiko-san, permit me to accompany you to the park as well. Please!" Yuiko shrunk back into the seat, somewhat disturbed, after a moment though she nodded making Yayoi blush and calm down. When the tea arrived everyone sat in silence for a few moments.
"Eh, we are coming with you to Asami-chan." Youji said, Natsuo leaning forwards to grab her tea for a try.
"Yeah, Soubi's orders. We can't let you leave without an escort." He took a sip, pulled a face at the overpowering taste of sugar, and handed it back.
"What? Isn't Ritsuka-kun enough?" She frowned, glaring slightly at Natsuo for taking her drink.
"What could he do if you tried to run? He isn't a fighter. The only thing he could do would be to call us. And by then you could be long gone. So, we are going to accompany you. Save Soubi the phone bill, and save us the time it would take to track you down." Asami rolled her eyes in annoyance at having to be babysat, but bit back a retort as Yuiko spoke up.
"Yay! Yui-er… I get to go to the park with all of my friends!" She glanced at Ritsuka for a moment, relieved that he didn't comment on her slip.
When the group had finished their drinks they parted ways, Yuiko and Yayoi going home while Natsuo and Youji dragged Asami with them as they walked Ritsuka home. When they arrived Ritsuka said goodnight before quickly darting inside. Natsuo and Youji pulled Asami away from the home, towards the park.
"We want to spend time with Asami, away from other people." Natsuo said with a smile on his face. All of Asami's muscles tightened, she was incredibly nervous now. Youji's face mirrored Natsuo's as they continued to pull her along. As they pulled her further into the covering of the trees her anxiety increased. They started to giggle as they approached the clearing of trees where they had first met her. She gasped as they cleared the ring of trees, stepping onto the soft grass. In the center of the clearing was a large blanket spread out on the ground. Asami gulped, wondering what was going on.
End
Umm, yeah… not sure if this chapter is as good. It defiantly isn't as long. I might type up an alternate version to replace this one later. Please tell me what you think I should do, and if you think it is any good. Also, you, the readers, get to decide what happens to Asami in the next chapter. I have three scenarios written up, so please add the number of the scenario you want to the end of your review, if you care to. And no, I'm not going to tell you what the chapters contain, you just have to pick a number and hope it is good!
So, please review! And remember to ad 1, 2 or 3 to the end of your post.
Kayt (aka sulphurwolf)
